Changes
by JesusLover13
Summary: When Johnny and Dallas return from the hospital, the gang struggles to keep life normal. But that becomes even harder when up comes a major emergency with Sodapop. Will not be completed.
1. Chapter One: Confused

**Chapter One: Confused**

It was a Saturday afternoon on December 21st. It was the coldest month ever in Tulsa. Even colder than January and February. It was always like that around where I lived. It had been raining a lot lately and everyone thought it would snow soon. I didn't, though. It never snowed. It had only snowed _once _in Tulsa and that was when I was five. It only sleeted. In fact, that was exactly what it was doing now; while I was taking a walk.

The cold weather didn't bother me too much, even when it was 23 degrees outside. I could handle being outside in that weather. Especially since I still had Dally's coat that he'd given me before Johnny and I had left for Windrixville. It kept me real warm, even though it still had a few burn marks from the fire. Hmm, I got to think about a warm, cozy fire in a church while I walked outside in the cold. That sure was comforting.

I was the only one in my family who would walk out of the house by choice in this weather. Darry would when he had to go to work. And Soda? Well, he wouldn't even walk out onto the porch. He was very cold-natured and hated it when it was cold outside. It was funny to me that all the girls said he was hot, but he was really cold. Okay, okay, I know that was a lame joke. Anyway, it had been a couple months since the fire in the old church in Windrixville and everything was _almost _back to normal again.

Dallas was out of jail now and his bullet wounds were healing. Last time I asked him how it was doing he told me that it felt a heck of a lot better. I was glad. The bullets had hurt him real bad at the time and the gang and I had thought that Dally was dead. But we took him to the hospital and the doctors took care of him.

Johnny was doing better, too. Well, better than he was. We thought we'd lost him also. But again, God gave those doctors wisdom to help him. For about a week after he got out of the hospital, he had to use a wheelchair. The next week, he had to try to learn to walk all over again. The rest of the gang and I helped with that. Except for Dally - he was in jail that week. It took us a _long _time, but Johnny finally got his legs to cooperate with him. Then, he started to use crutches. He was still on them lately and the doctor said that he would have to go like that until he felt like he could walk again.

So we were all doing better. The gang was happier now that we all had Johnny and Dally back. While Johnny was healing, Darry made him stay at our house. When Johnny found out that he'd be staying with us for a while, Soda said to him, "I'm glad you're gonna stay here, Johnny-cake. I mean, the last thing you need while you're healing is somethin' else hurting ya." Johnny had nodded in agreement. He knew what Soda'd said was true.

Anyways, I was walking to sort out my thoughts on this particular day. At home, there was never enough peace and quiet to think. But when I was alone, outside, I always could get everything straight. There were 9 things on my mind. Those things were:

1. Cherry

2. Johnny getting better

3. Dally acting strange lately

4. Darry working even though it was freezing outside

5. Sodapop sounding sick for a day and a half

6. Cherry

7. Steve being nicer to me (I know... strange)

8. Two-Bit not being around as much as he used to be

9. And once again Cherry...

Everything seemed okay, but at the same time... it wasn't.

Cherry, she was the coolest girl I'd ever met. Not like the greasy girls that Dallas Winston liked and not even close to the worse ones that Tim Shepard went out with. But also unlike those stuck-up Socy girls that Cherry and Marcia hung out with. Cherry was different. She was special. She dug sunsets like I did. She understood me, unlike anyone else had before. Sure, Sodapop and Johnny understood me, but it was different to find a _girl _who could actually sympathize me. She knew what I meant and didn't make a funny face whenever I'd say something. I could comprehend her, too. Well, for the most part I could.

I still hadn't figured out why she thought guys who were from the wrong side of the tracks were attractive. She seemed to like boys who were dangerously wild. She liked guys with evil looks in their eyes. And obviously ones with bad attitudes. What was so great about them? What was it that she found appealing about guys such as Bob Sheldon and Dallas Winston? Not to sound rude or anything, but I didn't find Dally all that great of a person to be around. I mean, _sure, _he was an awesome buddy, but what about his attitude was so attractive? That's the thing I didn't understand about Cherry. The _only _thing I didn't get.

And then there was Johnny. My best friend in the whole world. Him getting better meant more than anything to me. But everything was always so up and then down with his health, it wasn't even funny. One day, he'd be really bad off, the next, he'd be all right. Then the next thing you know, something's wrong again. The doctor said that that might happen, but I didn't think it was something that happened to just everyone.

Plus, Dally had been acting weird ever since he'd gotten out of jail. I had no idea why. He'd been having more of an older, over-protective brother attitude than he was an older, mischievous friend _with _an attitude. I didn't know why, though. Every time I'd even step out the door, Dally would go crazy and lecture me about being safe whenever I went out. I didn't know why he was getting so worked up; and it bothered me that he was. He acted the same way to Johnny and it really confused me. What was wrong with just taking a short walk?

The next person who I'd been worried about was Darry. He hadn't been taking a break from working lately. Even though it was always twenty-something degrees outside. It was too cold to be roofing houses. But for some strange reason, Darry hadn't taken even a small break. Well, there was one, but that day it was because his boss had wanted to take a day off, so, he let everyone else take a day off, too.

Darry had been too busy to realize that Sodapop had been acting different, too. And I knew that it wasn't just because Sandy had broke up with him. He had sounded kind of weak lately and I had no idea why. He sounded kind of like he had a cold or something. He even spent most of his time _sitting down _or in bed. And that's something that Soda rarely did. I'd asked him if he was okay the day before and he told me yes. That was a lie.

And then there was Cherry again. I was all confused about her, too. She had been ignoring me in school whenever she saw me-which, she'd promised she would - but she had also been ignoring me whenever it was just me and her. Take one weekend, for instance, I went to the park and she was there. She and I were the only ones there, so, I walked over to her and said hi. She ignored me until she saw that I was getting angry with her for it and she told me to go away. I did, but I was really sad _and _mad about it. I didn't know why she'd said that; especially since it was just me and her there.

And as if my life could've gotten anymore strange in the past couple of days, to top it all off, Steve was being _nice _to me! _Him _being nice to _me?_! That was crazy! He was _never _nice to me! But for some reason, ever since Johnny and Dally had gotten out of the hospital, he'd been nicer. Ugh. It was just _too _weird! But I was enjoying it while I could. It was a once in a lifetime chance, y'know.

Two-Bit had been acting different, too, though. He hadn't been coming over as much as he used to and when we did see him, he was more distant. Well, that's how is looked from my perspective, at least. He'd still try to be himself, but we could all tell that something was a little off.

And Cherry. Ugh! Cherry! Why did she have to be so confusing? I just don't understand why she acts like she has a crush on me one day, and then the next she's telling me to go away. I really wished she'd be a little bit more straight-forward when it came to whether or not she has a crush on me. I guess some mysteries were just yet to be solved. I guess I'd have to wait to find out what had been going on with everyone. But I was determined to figure out what was up.


	2. Chapter Two: Emergency

After I finished walking and sorting out my thoughts, I went home. When I walked inside, I felt like an ice cube that was melting. It was _so _incredibly warm inside. Our heat wasn't all that great, but when you've been outside in twenty-degree weather, you can't help but feel like melting when you walk inside a house.

I studied what everyone was doing before I did anything else. Johnny was laying stretched out on the couch, both his legs bandaged up, watching TV. Steve was sitting in Darry's recliner because Darry was not home and at work. Dallas was in the kitchen, probably trying to cook some food for Johnny. Poor guy, always wanting to help Johnnycake out as best as he could. Two-Bit wasn't there. And I didn't see Sodapop anywhere.

Johnny smiled when he saw me. "Hey, Pony," he said quietly. I walked over to him. "Hey, Johnnycake," I replied. "How ya feelin'?" Johnny shrugged. "I'm doin' okay," he said. I smiled, trying to look like I believed him. "I hope so." I looked around. "Is Sodapop here?" I asked. Johnny nodded. "Said he didn't feel well earlier. He went to his room. I wanted to go see if he was okay, but Dally made me stay here," he explained.

"I'll go and see if he's all right," I said. Then, I walked to the bedroom I shared with Sodapop. Soda was laying in bed, covers over him, eyes closed. I quietly walked over to him and shook his arm to wake him if he was asleep. He slowly blinked to focus on me. "Soda?" I said. "Oh, hey, Ponyboy," he said weakly.

I bit my lip as I heard his voice. He sounded pretty hoarse. "Are you okay?" I asked, concern and worry in my voice and on my face. "Yeah, Pony, I'm-" Sodapop let out a deep cough, then winced and closed his eyes. "-I'm fine." I shook my head. "No you're not." I felt his forehead. Sweat was pouring down it.

"Soda!" I exclaimed. "You've got a fever!" "No I don't..." Sodapop trailed off, keeping his eyes closed. "Dally! Dally! Get the phone! Call Darry! Soda's sick!" I yelled, running out of the room and into the kitchen. Dally looked at me worriedly when I reached him. "What? Is he okay?" he asked. "I don't know. He has a fever. He sounds really weak. I don't know what to do!" I ex-plained. Dally looked more worried than I'd ever seen him. "Call Darry. Tell him to get here as fast as he can," he said, sounding calm. That's when Johnny came limping into the room. I always hated watching him walk ever since he'd gotten out of the hospital.

I mean, it was like _I_ could feel _his _pain whenever I saw him walking. "What's goin' on?" he asked, wincing as he limped the rest of the way to us. "Is Soda all right?" "He's fine, but you won't be if you don't go sit down," Dally said. He looked in the living room. "Steve!" he called. "Come in here and carry Johnny back to the couch!" We heard a winy groan and then Steve came into the kitchen, picked Johnny up, and carried him out.

I ran into the living room and picked up the phone. I dialed Darry's number so quickly that you'd think I'd dialed 911. While I was waiting for Darry to answer I looked at Johnny who was sitting on the couch, staring at me worriedly. "It's okay," I mouthed. That's when Darry an-swered. "Darry! Darry!" I exclaimed. "It's an emergency! Get here as quick as you can!" "Wait, what's going on? Are you okay? Are the Socs there?" Darry asked. "The Socs aren't here. And I'm fine. It's Soda-" I stopped because that's when I heard Soda yelp and Dally gasp. I dropped the phone and ran to the room Soda and I shared.

"Soda! Are you okay?" I asked. Sodapop's eyes were squeezed shut, his teeth were clenched. And Dallas looked more sad than he ever had. "W-What's wrong?" I asked, not wanting to hear the answer. "Look, there's no time to explain, we just need to get him to a hospital," Dally answered. Then, Steve came running into the room. "Guys, _what's _going on?" he asked. "Soda got bit by a dog. Apparently one with sharp teeth. I don't know. But either way, that's why he's got a fever. We've got to take him to a hospital... now!" Dally explained.

I looked at Sodapop. His eyes still closed, his teeth clenched. He looked terrible. And it was all my fault. "This is _my _fault!" I cried. "What? No it's not," Steve said softly. "It is! I _knew _some-thing was wrong and I didn't say anything! I _knew _he was sick, but didn't tell anyone!" I explained. "He told you?" Dally asked. "No, but I could tell!" I cried. Steve walked over to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "It'll be okay, man," he said. "Where's Darry?" Soda asked weakly. "He's on his way," answered Johnny, coming into the room. "I thought I told you to sit on the couch and _stay _there!" Dally said. Johnny shook his head. "Soda's _my _friend, too. I need to know if he's okay," he explained. Dally nodded, looking stubborn, but being reasonable. "What are we gonna do, you guys?" My voice was rising and I was worried sick about Sodapop. "Are we gonna wait for Darry or go ahead and take 'im to the hospital?"

Dally looked at Steve. "We should take him to the hospital," Steve said. "Okay, c'mon, let's get in the truck. We've gotta go!" I exclaimed. Sodapop groaned. "No," Dally said slowly. "Pony, you and Johnny should stay here and wait for Darry." "What?" I yelled. "Sodapop is my brother! I can't stay here and let him go to the hospital without me!" "Pony, you have to under-stand. And if you won't do it for us, do it for Johnny. Johnny can't come in his condition and he'll need you to stay with him," Steve said calmly.

Johnny looked at me and tried to cock an eyebrow, but didn't succeed. "I dunno, Pony. May-be I should go for a checkup today," he said. I gave him a sneaky smile. "Yeah. It's about time for you to have one, anyway," I agreed. Dallas narrowed his eyes at Johnny. "Darry and I have been keeping track of the days you need to go back to the hospital for a check-up. Your next check-up is _tomorrow, _not today," he explained. "Aw, c'mon, Dal', it wouldn't hurt anyone for me to go a day early," Johnny replied. "I said no and that's what I meant!" Dally yelled. Johnny looked taken aback and limped out of the room.

Dally sighed and scratched his head. "Pony, c'mon, you can come. But only because Soda's your brother," he said. "What about Johnny?" I asked. "We can't drag him out of the house. He'll only get worse off if we make him walk. You've seen how much walking distance it is from the parking lot to the hospital, anyway," Dally explained. I nodded. "I guess you're right." So then, Dally carried Sodapop out to Steve's truck and Steve and I made sure Johnny was all right.

"Hey man," Steve said as we walked into the living room to find Johnny sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Johnny looked up at him. "Are you sure you'll be okay here by your-self if we all head to the hospital with Soda?" Johnny nodded. "Okay, see ya later," Steve gave Johnny a pat on the arm. Then, he walked outside to his truck.

"You sure you'll be all right?" I asked. "Always am," Johnny answered. "Make sure Soda stays safe; okay?" I nodded. "I will. See ya, man." Johnny smiled unenthusiastically and waved. I smiled back then ran out the door and quickly got into Steve's truck.

A little while later, we were at the hospital. We all got out and headed to the emergency room. When we got inside, we ran to the counter so fast that we almost fell over it. The lady sitting behind the counter peered at us over her black glasses. "Ma'am! Ma'am! It's an emergency! We need to see a doctor _right now!_" I exclaimed. The woman didn't make any kind of expression. She just flipped her shoulder-length black hair over her shoulder and picked up a piece of paper off the desk in front of her.

"First, you have to sign this. I need the name of the patient the doctor will be seeing today, his age, his phone number, his address, and an emergency phone number in case something goes wrong," she explained. "What?" Steve yelled. "An emergency phone number? This is a _hospital!_" The lady glared at him. "Just fill out the paper and have someone who's over eighteen to sign it," she said meanly. "Over eighteen?" Dally yelled. "No way! This is an _emergency! _He needs to see a doctor _now!_"

Looking a little afraid of Dallas, the woman mashed a few keys on her computer, then pressed the enter key. That's when a doctor and three nurses came in with a wheel chair. Dally sat Soda in it and then we all rushed down the hall and to a room. The nurses got Sodapop out of the wheel chair and put him on a hospital bed and started to take his temperature. "102 degrees!" one of the nurses reported to the doctor. I gasped and Dally put an arm around my shoulders. "It's gonna be all right, Pony," he said calmly. I hoped he wasn't lying.

~Meanwhile~

"But he's my friend!"

"I don't care _who _he is! You weren't here with the group of boys that just came through here, so, you're not going back there until I see some identification!"

"What? I'm _sixteen! _I don't even have a driver's license yet!"

"No identification card, no goin' back there to see your friend."

"But I've already _told you, _I don't _have _any identification! And even if I did, it would be with my parents, but they're not here right now!"

The woman behind the counter glared at Johnny and crossed her arms, but didn't say anything.

"Ma'am," he said quietly. "Can you at least _tell _me what an identification card is, please?"

The lady shook her head. "If you don't know, you don't have one," she said.

"But-" the boy was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. That's when Darry and Two-Bit came running up beside him.

Darry pulled a card out of his pocket. "Darrel Curtis. My brother is Sodapop Curtis. This boy right here is with me. That's Two-Bit Matthews and that's Johnny Cade. We've gotta see Soda-pop!" he explained. "What's that?" Johnny asked, referring to the card. The lady took it from Darry and scanned it. "Oh. That's my identification card," Darry explained. "Oh. Well, I'm sure it makes sense that you have one. I mean, with you being twenty years old and all," Johnny said. Darry smiled. "No. Ponyboy has one, too," he replied.

The sixteen year old looked at the woman behind the counter, then back at Darry. "Wait, so, _he's _fourteen and has one and _I don't?_!" he exclaimed. "Yep, pretty much," Two-Bit replied. "Anyway, we need to get to Soda." The woman handed Darry his card back and they all dashed to room 13 where the woman told them Sodapop was in.

~Back with Pony and Steve~

The doctor and the nurses had made Steve and I step out of the room for a minute so that they could talk to Dally. He was the oldest, so, he had to be the one who heard the news and had to make a decision about it.

I sighed and started to bite my fingernails. My right foot was nervously tapping on the floor and I felt so nervous and twitchy that I thought I would pass out at any minute. "Dude! Will you _stop that?_! I can practically _feel _how nervous you are! Chill out," Steve told me. I quit biting my finger nail, but didn't stop tapping my foot. "Sorry," I said.

A minute later, I couldn't take it _any _longer! "_When _are they gonna let us back in there? Why _in the world _is it taking so long?" I exclaimed. Steve looked at me, surprised. "We've only been standing out here for two minutes, Pony," he explained.

"I know," I said. "But it feels like two hours!" "It's okay, Ponyboy. I'm sure everything's fine," Steve said softly. "Maybe I should call Darry," I suggested. "Pony, I'm positive that Darry's on his way. In fact, he's probably in here right-" Steve was interrupted by footsteps running to-ward us. Then, as if on cue, Darry, Johnny, and Two-Bit appeared, panting and studying my face. "Hey, Dar', we were just talkin' about you," Steve said.

I was happy to see Darry, surprised to see Two-Bit (because of his lack of being around lately), and a little mad to see Johnny. How had Two-Bit known that something had happened? And why did Darry bring Johnny along with him if he knew how bad off he was?

"Johnny, sit down on that chair over there," Darry ordered, motioning to a chair beside the door. "You've been walking too much today." Johnny obeyed and sat down. "Hey," Two-Bit said, patting Steve and I each on the shoulder. "How's everyone?" "Could be better," I answered. Darry looked at me with a concerned expression. "Where's Soda? Is he okay?" he asked. "He's in that room. Dally's in there, too. The doc said he wanted to talk to him. Made me and Pony go out of the room," Steve explained.

"Can I go in? Y'know, since I'm Sodapop's older brother?" Darry asked. "Guess so," Steve answered. At about that moment, the door came open and Dally came out of the room, looking pale. "Woah, man," Darry said, grabbing Dally's arms, probably to make sure he didn't pass out before getting all the way out of the room. "Everything all right?" Dallas nodded tightly. "Yep," he said shortly. "What'd the doctor say?" Two-Bit asked.

"He said that Soda'd have to have stitches," Dally explained. "And you're all pale about that... _why?_" Two-Bit asked. "Because I hadn't seen Sodapop's wound back at the Curtis house. I just have seen it," Dally answered. "Oh," I said. "Was it bad?" Dally nearly cocked an eyebrow. "If you wanna know, go in there for yourself. I ain't going into detail about what I saw," he said. "What else did the doctor say?" Darry asked, his face looking calm, but his eyes blazing with fear.

"He said that Sodapop's fever was partly from the dog bite, partly from the weather. They said that he'd have a fever for a while and that his cold might take weeks to get over. That dog bite sure as heck didn't come at the right time," Dally explained. I looked at my feet, wishing that I could just take all of Soda's pain and sickness away from him, but I knew that I couldn't. Sodapop was hurt and sick and there was nothing I could do about it except pray.

**Hope everyone likes it so far! =)**


	3. Chapter Three: A Red Light and the Truth

**Thanks to Steph36 and alovelypear118 for the reviews! ^_^ I will work harder on this story. =) Hope everyone likes the third chapter! =D**

* * *

"Hey, I thought I told you to stay home," Dally said firmly. I looked up in time to see that he was looking over at Johnny. Johnny shrugged. "How'd you get here, anyway, Johnny?" Darry asked.

"Yeah, Darry picked me up at my house earlier and we both headed here in his truck," Two-Bit said. "We didn't know where you were." "Wait," I said suddenly. "So you guys _didn't _bring Johnny here?" Darry and Two-Bit shook their heads. "Then how'd you get here, Johnnycake?" I asked. "Climbed in the back of the truck as you guys were driving off," Johnny answered quietly. "Oh! So _that's _the noise I heard!" Steve exclaimed.

Dally rolled his eyes and turned back to Johnny. "That was _dangerous, _Johnny! You can't just go and do stupid stuff like that! You could've gotten hurt!" he yelled. Johnny looked sad and stared down at his shoes. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's fine," Dally said angrily. "Just make sure it don't happen again." I knew that he was only fussing at Johnny because he was worried about him, but to Johnny, it was his hero yelling at him. It was really sad.

Johnny didn't say anything else after that. That's when the doctor came out of the room. He looked at Darry. "You must be Darrel Curtis," he said, holding out his hand for Darry to shake. "My name is Dr. Carson." Darry shook his hand and then asked, "How is Sodapop? Are you done giving him stitches? Can we go home now?" Dr. Carson chuckled. "Mr. Curtis, Sodapop cannot go home right now. We will have to keep him here for a few more days until he is healthy and healed enough to go home," he explained. "How many days will he have to stay here?" Darry asked.

"Anywhere from three to five days. But even then, he won't be fully recovered. I don't know whose dog bit him, but it was obviously a big dog with sharp teeth. Plus, his cold will take him weeks to get over. There sure is someone up there watching over him, though, because he could be much worse off than he is," Dr. Carson explained.

Darry nodded. "Would it be okay for Ponyboy and I to stay here, too, while Sodapop is here?" he asked. "That would be more than okay," Dr. Carson replied with a smile. "Thanks," Darry and I said in unison. Dr. Carson nodded and walked away.

Darry turned to the gang. "Would you guys be willing to do us a favor?" he asked. Everyone nodded. "Two-Bit, I'll put you in charge of looking after the house. You can stay there as long as you want, whenever you want. You can even fix yourself some food while you're there as long as you wash your dishes when you're done. Dally and Johnny are both staying with us at the moment, so, you won't at all be lonely," Darry explained. He looked at Dallas. "Dally, it'll be your responsibility to take care of Johnny."

Johnny looked away, either mad at Dallas or just upset. Dally nodded and said, "Okay, Darry. I'll do it." Darry turned to Steve. "You'll have to be the one to come here and look after Sodapop if both Ponyboy and I aren't here," he explained. Steve nodded, probably grateful that he'd get to spend some quality time with his best friend. "Also, if you don't mind, please give your boss a note that says Soda's hurt and will not be able to come to work for a while," Darry added. Steve nodded once again.

Darry looked at me. "Ponyboy, Steve works from 8am to 5:30pm every night. I'll stay here with Soda while you're at school, but as soon as school's over, you've gotta come back here so that I can go to work. If you can't, Steve will have to," he explained. I nodded and he looked around at everyone. "All that okay?" he asked. Everyone nodded except Johnny. "What is it, Johnny-cake?" Darry asked. "Well... it's just..." Johnny sighed. "You put everyone else in charge of something, but you didn't give me anything to do while you and Pony are here." Darry smiled warmly at him. "While we're gone, I want you to get some rest and try to stay off those legs." Johnny sighed shortly again, but didn't argue. He knew as well as anyone else that he'd only get better quicker if he rested.

The next day, school went by slower than usual. I eagerly waited the whole day to hear the ring of the bell that meant we were free to go. It took a whole day almost, but I finally heard it. As soon as school was over, Steve picked me up and drove me to the hospital. "How come you weren't at work?" I asked him, on the way to see Soda.

"Boss said I could have a day off," Steve explained shortly. "How's Sodapop?" "Dunno. Haven't seen 'im all day," I replied. "Oh," Steve said. That's when we stopped at a stoplight. It felt like time had turned red and stopped just as the stoplight had. It felt as though time had paused itself. Neither Steve or I said a word. I was in deep thought about Sodapop getting better and I was sure he was, too.

Then my mind wandered to everything that had been going on before we knew that Soda was hurt and sick. I remembered Two-Bit not coming over as much and being kind of distant, quiet, and serious whenever he did. I remembered me staying up for half a night one night thinking about him. Thinking about what must have been going on in his life to make him so unlike himself. I remembered feeling sad for him. I remembered saying a prayer for him even though he wasn't there.

Then I thought about Darry and how he had been working too hard in the freezing weather. If it was Sodapop or me who was working in weather that was too cold, Darry would tell us that we should go home and take a few days off from work until the weather got better, but for some reason, he won't do that. He'd been more anxious lately to get to work, more rushed to work. I had no idea why, but that was another mystery to be solved.

Then, I remembered how bad off Johnnycake was. If he kept trying to walk instead of rest he'd be worse off than ever. Plus, the cold weather couldn't be good for him either. I had to make sure Dally took good care of him while I wasn't there.

So, that obviously brought my thoughts to Dallas. He was acting so different. Ever since Johnny almost died and he got shot, he'd been acting different. More protective. I didn't know why and was almost afraid to ask him. _Hmm, _I thought. _What was one of the first things Dally did after he got out of the hospital? _Let's see... after he got out of the hospital he went to jail, but as far as I know, that was something he was used to, not something that would make him all of a sudden over-protective of Johnny and I. After that... oh! I remember! After Dally got out of jail, he went to hang out with some buddies of his. Some good friends of Buck's. Yeeeah, so, _that _was when he started acting weird.

Now that I had that figured out, I thought about Sodapop. I had known that he was feeling sick, but I still had no idea when he'd gotten hurt. He had looked like he was feeling sick for a day and a half; but when had he gotten hurt? It had to have been earlier the day we found out he was hurt, because the day before he hadn't looked as in pain as he had the day we found out that he'd gotten bit by that dog. We still didn't know _how _it all happened, though.

Then I thought about Steve. Why had he been acting so weird lately also? Why was he being nice to me? That was exactly the question I was about to ask him.

But before I did... I couldn't help but think about my ninth mystery. Cherry. I was beginning to get frustrated with that subject and decided to let it go. She was the least of my worries. I had to worry about my family and friends before I could a girl.

Heh, I know it seems like that stoplight had to have been red for a _looooooooong _time for me to think _all _that, but a lot of things can go through my mind in just a few seconds. The light was still red when I looked at Steve and asked, "How come you've been actin' so nice to me lately, like you want me around?" Steve looked surprised by the question. After a long pause, he said, "Because I've realized what's important in life. I've realized that the most important thing is my friends. You all mean the world to me. And after almost losing Johnny_ and _Dally, I've realized that I need to find more value in what I have instead of wishing for something else.

"You guys are my best friends. And even though sometimes some of you get on my _last _nerve, I've still realized that I need to appreciate y'all no matter what. Plus, I know that life has been hard for you lately. It wouldn't help for me to add to it." After saying all that, Steve immediately shut up. I knew it was because he was regretting saying all that. Greasers didn't talk about their feelings too much. Most of us thought it made us seem weak, soft. But I, for one, was glad that he'd told me that. I figured I'd actually needed to hear it. I smiled and the light turned green. I was still digesting what he'd said even as we drove into the parking lot of the hospital.


	4. Chapter Four: Could It Get Any Worse?

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, the person who added this story as their favorite story, and for all the author and story alerts! ^_^ Also, I'm working better on this with the characters and I'm trying my best; so, please just be easy on me. =) Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

I pressed the elevator button, not wanting the doors to ever open. Steve and I were standing on the first floor and waiting for the elevator to come down for us to get in. I hated elevators, though. I wasn't at all claustrophobic, but I didn't like the way it felt when the elevator started going. Steve, on the other hand, loved elevators. He enjoyed the weird feeling you get in your stomach as you're going up and the feeling like your head is gonna fly off when you're going down. But I just wasn't like that. I hated those things. Hated them so much it almost made me sick.

The elevator doors came open and I thought, _Okay, Ponyboy, just remember, the only reason you don't mind the elevator this time is because your brother is up there on the sixth floor and you love him very much. _I forced my feet to move forward and stepped into the elevator, feeling like a nervous wreck. I backed up against the wall furthest away from the door, closing my eyes. "You all right, Pony?" Steve asked, pressing the number six button.

"Yeah," I answered. A while later, the elevator stopped at the sixth floor. The doors opened and Darry walked into the elevator. "Darry!" I exclaimed. "What're you doing here? You're supposed to be with Soda!" "I have to get to work," he explained calmly. "I knew that you guys were on your way up here, so, I figured it was time for me to go." "You be safe at work," I ordered. Darry grinned. "I will," he said. Steve and I stepped out of the elevator. "Bye, Darry, see ya tonight," I said. "I'll be getting here a little later than usual since I've missed over half a day of work. It'll be later, but not too late," Darry explained. "See ya, Ponyboy. Bye, Steve." We waved bye and the elevator shut.

"Which room is he in now? Since they moved him?" Steve asked. I took a small piece of paper out of my pocket and looked at it. "Roooom... 16," I answered. Steve nodded and we headed down the hall. When we walked into the room, Sodapop was still laying on the bed like I'd left him that morning. He smiled when he saw me and Steve. "Hey, Soda, what's goin' on?" Steve asked softly, walking over to the side of the bed. He'd sounded happy when he'd asked it, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. Soda chuckled weakly. "The food here tastes like crap," he said. I smiled. "Don't worry, if the nurses will let us, we'll get Darry to stop by a store and get you some real food on the way back here from work."

Sodapop smiled. "Okay," he said. "In fact, I'll go find a nurse _right now _and ask if we are allowed to bring you some good food," Steve said. Soda nodded and Steve walked out of the room. I sat down in a chair beside Sodapop's bed. "How're you feelin'?" I asked. "All right, I guess," he answered. There was a long pause. "When did you get your cold?" I asked. "Do you know?" He nodded. "Two days ago is when I got sick," he explained. "When did you get bit by the dog? And whose dog was it? And where were you when it happened?" My voice had been rising with confusion and concern and I decided to stop after I'd asked the last question.

"Calm down, Pony," Soda said softly. I nodded. "I will." "To answer your questions, though, I got bit yesterday morning. Early. Like, 4:30am kind of early," he explained. My eyes widened. "I had left early for work, because my boss had told me to. And yes, I went even though I wasn't feeling well. I'd decided to walk down to the DX, thinking maybe it would make me feel a little better.

"I was _almost _to the DX. I was just in the small neighborhood right before you cross the road to go to the gas station when some Socs in a car drove up. I had no idea what they were doing in our side of town at 4:30 in the morning. I tried to walk faster and act like I didn't see them, to avoid them as best as I could. But their car sped up to me and two of 'em jumped out. They had a big dog. A rottweiler. It barked at me meanly and they let him off his chain and he came running at me. He tackled me and bit the crap out of my side.

"I walked the whole way home slowly, trying to get there before you, Darry, Dally, and Johnnycake got up. Then I just laid on the recliner and fell asleep when I got back home. After you got up I went to our room and laid on the bed for the rest of the morning until you guys came and found out I was hurt," Sodapop explained.

I gasped. "Sodapop!" I exclaimed. "It was, like, one or two in the _afternoon _when we found you! You were hurt for about _nine _hours! This could be way worse than it is! You're lucky God protected you!" I felt like crying but I didn't. I knew it wouldn't make Soda any better if I did. I just sighed. Sodapop raised his eyebrows. "You okay, Ponyboy?" he asked, probably reading my expression. "I'm fine, Soda. The question is: are _you _okay?" I answered. "Could be better," he said simply with a slight grin. "But I'll be all right. I always am." I smiled. I knew he would be all right. If anyone could be all right through this, it was Dally Winston. But after him, it was Soda.

That's when Steve came back into the room. "_Sodaaaa,_" he said playfully. It always seemed to me that he was happier around Soda than he was anyone. Sodapop grinned. "What?" he asked. "The nurses said that Pony and I can go get you some _real food,_" Steve explained. Soda's smiled grew bigger.

"Get to it, then," he joked. Steve motioned to the door and I stood up. "See you in a few minutes," I told my brother. "Be back in a few," Steve added. Then, we both left the room. "We'd better hurry. I wouldn't want anything to happen and us not be here," I said as we got into the elevator.

Twenty minutes later, we were back at the hospital with some good smelling - and I'm sure good tasting - food. When we reached the sixth floor, we heard a lot of commotion coming from down the hall.

"But - no - wait! Y-You don't understand! We _have _to see him!"

"No one under nineteen is getting into that room."

"Wanna bet?"

"Why, yes, I-"

"Move! Please!"

We heard a crashing noise.

"Ow!"

"Watch where you kick him, idiot!"

"Uh, boys? I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"But that's our friend in there!"

"Hasn't the nurse already told you that you must be nineteen or older to go inside? None of you look nineteen to me."

"Listen, idiots. The hospital called me saying that there's been an emergency with that kid in there. I came and now you won't let me in!"

"Oh. Well then, you may go in."

We heard a door shut. We were getting closer to the voices and I wondered how long the hallway was.

"Are you here for your checkup, Mr. Cade?"

I looked at Steve urgently. "Cade!" I exclaimed. "Johnny's here! And I have a feeling something's wrong!" "Yeah and those over voices must've been Two-Bit and Dal'! We've gotta get to Soda quick!" Steve added. We sprinted down the rest of the hallway until we reached room sixteen. Two-Bit was helping Johnny up from beside a cart of food. They didn't realize that Steve and I were standing there; neither did the doctor they were talking to. "Not exactly. I'm here for a friend; but I guess I'll have my checkup today, anyway," Johnny answered. The doctor smiled. "Sounds good," he said.

That's when we heard a yelp from room sixteen. I ran toward the door, but the nurse in front of it pushed me back. "That's my brother in there!" I yelled. "Yeah, and I'm the queen of England. Now, run along and you can see your 'brother' when he feels better," the nurse said. "Sodapop _is _his brother! And you're the mean nurse from yesterday; aren't you?" Steve exclaimed. "Yeah. So what?" the nurse snapped. "You're a very hateful woman," Steve commented. "You're right," the nurse replied, smiling ruefully. "Just let 'im in," Two-Bit ordered.

"Doctor said no to let anyone come into the room except Darrel Curtis and anyone nineteen or older," the nurse explained. "Dallas Winston was an exception." I stared at the nurse with wide eyes. "Well, is my brother Darry here?" I asked worriedly. She shook her head.

"No," she answered. "We've tried calling him, but we haven't got an answer yet." "Keep calling," I instructed. "He's at work; but there still might be a chance you'll get him." By now, I felt like I was gonna start bawling. Darry wasn't here, the nurse wouldn't let me see my own brother, and I had to leave the mature decisions to Dallas Winston, the one who screamed in my face when I asked him if he wanted cheese or mayonnaise on his ham sandwich. That was _just _great.

Two-Bit put a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Ponyboy," he told me. I nodded and wiped my eyes before any tears could come out. I was worried about Sodapop. Johnny's doctor, Dr. Adams, looked at us with a sympathetic expression on his face. "Your brother will be fine," he assured me. I nodded, but knew I wouldn't believe him until I saw Soda for myself.

There was a few minutes that passed by where no one said anything. "Johnny are you ready for your checkup?" Dr. Adams asked easily, breaking the silence. Johnny turned to him and nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Pony, why don't you go with Johnnycake?" Steve suggested. "Two-Bit and me will stay here just in case they need us." I was about to protest when Two-Bit spoke. "We'll let you know if anything is seriously wrong with Soda," he promised. I nodded. "Okay." Then, I hesitated, but still walked away with Johnny and Dr. Adams.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, I wanted nothing more than to get back to room sixteen. For a while, or at least a few minutes, my concentration was fully on making sure that the doctor said Johnny was okay. But after I heard the doc say, "Johnny seems to be doing just fine," I kind of zoned out. I was more than ready to get back to Sodapop.

"The only thing I recommend is that Johnny stays on crutches," the doctor went on and I shot Johnny a look. He shyly looked away and Dr. Adams smiled. "So, Johnny, stay off those feet and if you have to get up, use crutches," he explained. "And Ponyboy, it might not be a good idea for him to stay with you and your brothers. If he catches that cold that your brother has, it could be serious. And if he gets sick we may have to keep him here in the hospital." Johnny's dark eyes widened and he turned quickly to stare at the doctor. "I recommend him to stay at his own house." The doctor obviously had no clue about Johnny's life at home. "It would be better for him and Sodapop."

I sighed helplessly. There was no way Johnny could go home. And if he didn't, he could get worse. Well, either way, he could. But from what it was sounding like, he'd have to go back home.


End file.
